Brassiere



V. HARTMAN June 28, 1955 BRSSIERE Filed May 19, 1953 INVENTOR.

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2,711,536 BRASSIRE Victor Hartman, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Formfit Company, Chicago, Ill., a co'poration of Illinois Application May 19, 1953, Serial No. 355378 4 2 Claims. (Cl. z 42) This invention relates to a lady s garment of the bust covering type which will, for convience, hereinafter be referred to as a brassire, and which may comprise an undcrgarment, such as a conventional brassire, or, an outer garment, such as a dress or halter. More particularly, this invention relates to a strapless brassire of the type having supports associated with the bust cups.

In the face of fashion demands, many types of brassires have been designed to assure the unique and distinctive shape of a woman's breast. A well-designed brassire should shape and support the wearer's breasts and yet should be comtortable to wear. However, it has been my experience that most of the existing strapless brassires have been found by women to be harsh and uncomfortable due to the unyielding bracing members or supports commonly associated with brassires.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a brassire which, although aifording the desirable supporting action of a brace type brassire, automatically conforms itself to the torso and in so doing does not chafe, irritate or dig into the skin.

It is an object of this invention to provide a brassire having separate supports for each bust portion or cup of the brassire.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a support for brassire bust portions or cups which is incompressible longitudinally of its aXis but which readily conforms to the contours of the breast.

It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a brassire wherein the supports comprise but few and simple parts which can be manufactured and installed at a low cost so as to add only slightly to the cost of manufacturing the brassire.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a brassire without the usual yoke type of brassire support, thus eliminating a source of irritation in the region of the breastbone.

In accordance with the present invention I provide a brassire having U-shaped supports associated therewith in inverted U-shaped position, each of said supports having a fiexible core with a plurality of layers of wire wound thereabout, each of the layers being wound in alternate, angular directions about the core. The ends of each support are formed into a polygonal conguration and each said end receives and frictionally retains a cylindrcal cap member. The supports are disposed in suitable inverted U-shaped pockets forxned in the brassire. The cap mernber on each end of each support prevents the support member from being forced through the brassire fabric and into contact with the bearer, and in cooperation with a cushion member provides a firm purchase which aids in the support of the breast pocket and the breast contained therein.

In addition to the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a strapless brassire wherein "upcreep and downcreep are effectively prevented and which firmly but gently holds the breast portions or pockets of the brassire in place.

Other objects and advantages of the present inventon ,the outside thereof.

will become apparent in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the brassire of the present invention.

Now, in order to acquaint those skilled in the art with the manner of making and using the brassire of the present nvention, I shall describe, in connection with the accompanying drawing, a preferred embodiment of my new brassire.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of my new brassire with a portion on one breast receiving cup broken away to expose a portion of my improved cup support;

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of my new brassire, with the ends of the attachment panels broken away; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of the structure comprising the support in my new brassire, showing one end thereof broken away and partially unwound and the other end partally in section.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, reference nume'ral 10 generally indicates a preferred embodiment of my improved strapless brassire. The brassire generally comprises two panel portions 12 and 12' forrned of: a relatively non-stretchable material. Each of the panels is formed with a generally circular opening at 14, 14' respectively, to receive and be attached to the breast receiving pockets or cups indicated generally at 16, 16'. The panels 12 and 12' are also formed with a generally curved upper edge which provides relatively narrow strips 15, 15' disposed above the respective circular openings. In the present embodiment the upper portion of the pocket ltis formed by portion 18 which comprises one or more layers of lace cut in a suitable shape, while the lower half comprises two sections or pieces of cloth 29, 22, each of a form to provide the general configuration shown most clearly in Figure l. The pieces 20, 22 are given their proper shape byistitching them together along a line 24 located interiorly of the edges of each of said pieces which divides each piece into a major and a minor portion, and then folding the outer or minor portions of pieces 20 and 22 bounded by the stitch line 24 back over their respective portions and stitching them along the lines 26 and 23. It will thus be seen that the resulting rounded edge of the two sections or pieces 20 and 22 will be equal to approxirnately degrees of the generally circular shape in which breast pockets are ordinarily made in this type of garment, while the rounded edge of portion 18 will be equal to somewhat over degrees of said shape. As shown, the stitch lines 24, 26 and 28 meet at the center 30 of the poctet on The sections or portions 20, 22 are stitched to the lace 18 at 32 and 34, respectively, and the portions 20, 22 and their respective folded back portions are stitched to the portion 12 along the generally semicircular lines 36 and 38. The upper circular edge of the lace portion 18 is stitched to the circular strip 15 of portion 12 disposed thereabove. A separate lace border may be Secured to the upper perpheral border of the portion 12 or, as in the present embodiment, the end 40 of lace portion 18 extends outwardly of, and is stitched to the circular strip 15.

I prefer to form the breast pocket of such size that the breast pocket supports, later described, will be disposed, when the garment is Secured to the wearer, immediately adjacent the base of the breast as the best results are obtained from my brassire when the said supports are thus disposed. For the purposes of this description, the base of the breast" is consider-ed to be that portion of the breast where the breast contours merge with the torso of the body.

The pocket or cup 16' is formed in the same manner, and since the description thereof would merely be repetitious, it is excluded.

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The described Construction of the breast pockets or cups -16, 16' provides a firm and well contoured lower supporting surface in the breast pockets, which I have found to eifectively shape the breast supported thereby.

Secured to the circular strip and the outer edges of each portion 12 and 12' are the elongated U-shaped pockets 42 and 42', respectively. These pockets are stitched to the respective portions 12 and 12' in inverted U-shaped position, and, as shown more clearly in the right hand side of Figura 2, each pocket 42 and 42' comprises an elongate strip of rather heavy material folded in half and stitched along the two abutting edges. The pocket 42, for instance, is long and narrow and extends from the lower left hand corner of portion 12 (as shown in Figure 2), upwardly around the curved strip 15 of portion 12 and downwardly to the lower right hand edge thereof. The pocket 42' is snilar to pocket 42 and is similarly Secured to the panel 12'.

The pockets 42 and 42' and the adjacent edges of panels 12 and 12' are stitched together at their abutting edges as shown at 44, thus securing the cups 16, 16' in breast receiving relationship with respect to each other. Body encircling, horizontally stretchable, elastic panels 46 and 46' are Secured by appropriate stitching to the opposite or outside edges of panel portions 12 and 12', respectively, and preferably panels 46 and 46' have one of the well known snap or other securing means attached at their extreme ends for securing the ends of the garment together around the body of the wearer. As shown, the panels 12, 12' and 46, 46' are provided with appropriate borders 13, 13' and 48, 48', respectively. I also prefer to stitch a strip of elastic material 50 along the lower inside edge of the brassire from the extreme end of panel 46 to the extreme end of panel 46'. The strip 50 is stitched over the abutting ends of pockets 42 and 42' but the opposite ends of the pockets are left uncovered and unattached for insertion of the hereinafter described breast pocket supports. The strip 50 is also stitched over one end of each hereinafter described pads 60, 62 and 68, securing them to the garment. Strip 50 aids in preventing undesirable "upscreep or downcreep" of the brassire. Strips of soft furlike material 43, 43' may be employed on the inside surfaces of each elongated pocket 42 and 42', if desired, to further aid in elimination of "upcreep and "downcreep.

Inside the long, narrow pockets 42, 42' are disposed the elongated exible breast pocket, or cup, supports 56 and 56', respectively. These flexible supports each assume a U-shaped configuration when inserted in pockets 42 and 42', and since the pockets 42 and 42' are disposed in inverted U-shaped position, the supports are also in inverted U-shaped position. As shown, the supports 56 and 56' extend from the abutting closed ends of the pockets 42 and 42', respectively, to the other ends thereof, being positioned within the respective pockets when the brassire is, finally assembled substantially as shown in the drawings (in dotted lines for the most part). Each end of the support members 56 and 56' is provided with a cap member 53 to prevent the otherwise relatively sharp ends of the support members from being forced through the cloth material surrounding said supports and injurng the skin of the wearer. Soft pads 60 and 62 are folded upwardly and are stitched to the brassire over the outside ends (ends adjacent panels 46, 46' respectively-) of the support members 56 and 56', respectively. Said pads hold the ends of pockets 42 and 42' with the respective ends of the support members 56 and 56' therein, against the strip 50, and by being stitched at both sides of each pad member, as shown at '64 and 66 in `'Fgure '2, the ends of the supports are securely mounted inside the pads and restrained from lateral movement with respect thereto. A center 'pad 68 covers and mounts the abutting 'ends of the 'supports in like manner, said pad being stitched in place along lines 70 4 and 72, but not preventing the folding double of the brassire when it is desired to store the same.

My improved breast pocket support is shown more particularly in Figure 3. The universally flexible support 56 is stainless steel comprising a flexible core 74, an inner layer of wire 76 wound in one direction about the core 74, and an outer layer of wire 78 wound about the inner layer in the opposite direction. The ends of the coil are formed into a polygonal configuration, as at 79. and each receives and frictionally retains a stainless steel cylindrical cap 58. The polygonal configuration employed in the described embodiment is one of four sides, but other polygonal configurations would be equally as satisfactory. I prefer that the ends of the coil be shaped by a swaging operation since such an operation does not leave a weakened portion in the coil adjacent the peripheral edge 80 of cap 58. The coil of my improved support more specifically comprises an inner layer of seven wires of a diameter about half the diameter of the core 74 and an outer layer of eight wires of a diameter greater than the diameter of the wires forming the inner layer 76 but less than the diameter of the core '74, as is shown in the drawings. One highly satisfactory Construction consists of a core or center wire of a diameter of thirtythree thousandths of an inch, an inner layer made up of wires of seventeen thousandths of an inch and an outer layer made up of wires of twenty-four thousandths of an inch. I have also found that cap member dimensions of approximately twenty-five hundredths of an inch in length and approximately fourteen hundredths of an inch in outside diameter provide a highly satisfactory cap for the purposes for which the flexible coil 56 is used. Manifestly, a substance other than stainless steel may be used to form the support member with good results, but I rave found stainless steel to be highly satisfactory.

In Figure 2, the outer end of the support 56' has been shown exposed, showing its cap member 58 and the position of the structure comprising the support within the pocket 42'. The brassire is also broken away in Figure 1 to show the relative location of the arcuate portion of the support when correctly positioned.

The central arcuate portion of the supports 56 and 56' support the breast pockets 16 and 16', respectively, and provide a flexible suspension for the pocket and the breast lying therein when the brassire has been Secured to the wearer. Since the dimensions of the pocket and the support disposed therein are such that the support lies adjacent the'base of the breast, the breast will remain within the breast pocket after the garment has been Secured to the wearer. When the brassire is in position on the wearer, ordinarily the curved or load hearing portion of each coil is disposed out of the plane of the legs. Referring to Figure 1, the curved portions would be disposed outwardly of the plane of the leg portions. However, the provision of the flexible core 74 within the coil insures that the coil will as efectively support the breast when the curved portion is disposed outwardly of the coil support legs as when the curved portion is aligned in the same plane as the legs. The support is by its nature universally flexible laterally with respect to the center axis of core 74, and by reason of its high degree of flexiblity readily conforms to the shape of the breast. By so conforming, my improved support eliminates a tendency of less flexible supports to rub and dig into the flesh of the wearer. The support is also longtudinally incompressible and inextensible and therefore reduces materially the wear on the encompassing support pockets (42 and 42' as disclosed) and does not lose its aforementioned universal flexibility by the bunching of said material in between .the wound wires. Earlier coil type supports, in contracting and expanding longitudinally due to movements of the wearer, have been known to wear through the adjacent cloth material and/ or the material tends to bunch up between the various wires comprising the coil and materially reduces the flexibility of the coil. Moreover, when the brassire the cap member 58 on the ends of each support, and the 2 cap members bear on the fold in their respective pads 60, 62 and 68. The respective folds are therefore load receiving abutments and provide a firm purchase for the support of the pockets and breasts received therein;

As was stated hereinbefore, many of the earlier forms of breast pocket supports were formed out of, and remained part of, a single piece of wire, which, when applied to the brassire, provided a fixed and irnmovable portion adjacent the locality of the cap members 58 in the abutting portions of pockets 42 and 42'. In other ;1

forms, the two pocket supports were joined by a yoke portion which resulted in the same hard portion being present in the same locality. This hard portion was highly objectionable as it tended to dig into the breastbone of the wearer and to be otherwise uncomfortable because of its relative hardness. In my present invention this is satisfactorily eliminated by the provision of the two separate supports which are not joined in the middle. Moreover, the brassire comprising my present invention may be easily folded in half for ready storage until it is needed.

One of the main reasons for the yoke portion, of the pocket supports described immediately above, digging into the breastbone of the wearer is that former brassires have been designed so that the breastbone bears at least part of the load carried by the pocket supports. In my brassire the center pad 68 receives the full thrust of the abutting ends of the supports 56 and 56'; since the pad 68 is Secured on each of its sides to one of the nonstretchable panels, the thrust against pad 68 is distributed evenly to each panel and the pocket does not tend to sag downwardly or to one side under the load on the supports. Being securely fixed to the respective non-stretchable panels, the pad 68 does not require the presence of the breastbone to hold the ends of said supports in supporting position. My brassire, therefore, is so formed that the pad 68 does not bear against the breastbone and the objectionable pressure thereagainst is eliminated.

I have also found that objectionable "downcreep of the brassire is prevented by the gentle grasping action of the support about the base of the breast, and, since longitudinal compressibility is not present in my support, the pockets will not tend to sag downwardly from the body of the wearer but are held firmly in the desired upright position. The prior coil supports used in this manner Would tend to contract under the weight carried by the support, and allow the upper edge of the cups to creep downwardly on the breast. The presence of the core 74 within the support provides a longitudinal strength which also tends to hold the upper portion of the breast pocket firmly but gently in place, while at the same time the coil is sufiiciently flexible laterally of the axis to readily conform to the contour of the abutting breast and adjacent torso. Thus, there is a tendency for the curved portions of the supports (as shown in Figure 1, for instance), when in U-shaped position, to be urged inwardly toward the plane of the legs, although the curved portion will readily conform to the contour of the breast disposed thereunder. In the present embodiment this action is accentuated by the action of the horizontally stretched panels 46 and 46', since each said panel is connected to the vertical margin of a panel 12 or 12' upwardly past the height of the center of the cup. The resiliency of the coil alone may be relied on to keep the upper periphery of the cup in place, however. Objectionable "upcreep of the brassire is also prevented by the action of the strip 50 against the skin in cooperation with the horizontally stretchable panels 46 and 46' when the ends of same are Secured together at the back of the wearer.

The foregoing description and the drawings are given merely to explain and illustrate my invention, and the manner in which it may be utilized, and the invention is not to be limited thereto, except in so far as the appended claims are so limited, since those skilled in the art who have my disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and varations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A strapless brassire comprising a pair of panels of relatively non-stretchable material hingedly connected at adjacent vertical margins and each having a bust cup disposed in an opening therein adjacent the upper portion of the panel, each panel having a curved top strip surrounding the bust cup, the opposite vertical margins of each panel being connected with a horizontally stretchable band by which the brassire is adapted to encircle and embrace the body about the bust, the connection of said band with the vertical margin of the panel extending from the lower margin of the panel upwardly above the middle of the cup, U-shaped inverted pockets extending up the vertical margins of ,the panels and along the curved top strip, abutments carried adjacent the lower margins of the panels at the open ends of the U-shaped pockets, a separate support member in each U-shaped pocket, each said support member hearing by its free ends against said abutments and being universally flexible to permit it readily and comfortably to conform to the curvature of body adjacent the bust but being non-extensible and noncompressible along its length and arched above the bust cup where it maintains the upper periphery of the cup in position closely against the body under the force exerted by the horizontally stretchable band, each said support member comprising a flexible member having a plurality of layers of wire wound thereabout, with each of said layers of wire being wound in alternate angular directions, said abutments comprising pads which overlie the lower ends of the support members, and means along the lower margin of the panels to prevent the brassire from creeping along the body.

2. A strapless brassire comprising a pair of panels comprising relatively non-stretchable material hingedly connected at adjacent vertical margins and each having a bust cup disposed in an opening therein adjacent the upper portion of the panel, each panel having a curved top strip surrounding the bust cup, each said bust cup comprising an upper portion formed of at least one layer of lace, said lace having a peripheral edge Secured to said top strip, and a lower portion comprising two pieces of cloth stitched together to provide a major and a minor portion in each of said pieces, said pieces of cloth being Secured together to provide a continuous peripheral edge, said minor portions of said pieces being turned back over said major portions and stitched thereto, with the stitched edges of said minor portions and the stitch line holding the two said pieces stitched together merging into each other at the center of the respective cups, said pieces of cloth and said layer of lace being stitched together along their abutting edges, inverted U-shaped pockets' Secured to said panels and extending up the vertical margins of the panels and along the curved top strip, abutments carried adjacent the lower margins of the panels at the ends of said inverted U-shaped pockets, and a support member disposed in each inverted U-shaped pocket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 727,323 Feder May 5, 1903 2,468,622 Glick Apr. 26, 1949 2,579,546 Cadous Dec. 25, 1951 2,644,947 Schwartz July 14, 1953 

